Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 699 › Conversation 699-008

Nixon, Butterfield & Woods on White House schedule and Luis Echeverria Alvarez

Friday, March 31, 1972 · 2:00 PM–2:05 PM ET · Oval Office ·6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Butterfield, Alexander P.;  Woods, Rose Mary;  Bull, Stephen B.Conversation699-008 onTape 699 (tape position 03:48:24–03:55:41)StartFriday, March 31, 1972 at 2:00 PMEndFriday, March 31, 1972 at 2:05 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 699-008 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Alexander Butterfield, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen Bull to coordinate administrative tasks and White House scheduling. Key discussions involved entertainment arrangements for an upcoming state dinner honoring Mexican President Luis Echeverria Alvarez, including deliberations on presenting a Medal of Freedom to Fred Waring. The President also dictated personal notes to Dinah Shore and Susan Alsop regarding a recent television appearance and a literary reference to Edmund Burke.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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We can't get our children to sleep.
We can't get good at science.
So you can't get good at science.
You can't get good at science.
How about having a good accident?
Well, he said he came to me in front of the scooter and told me to hang out with him.
He says he tries to be like a weed or something that he'd be involved in.
Well, could he do the maximum thing?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
He's trying to be better.
I don't think with a president, one single president here, you would want to present a Medal of Freedom to somebody else.
Would you?
Well, your Medal of Freedom is not... No, I know you don't, but I think it would put the attention too much on him and not on the President of Mexico.
Oh, darling, we're having fun.
We're having a little better.
You'll see.
We're not having any other dinners over, so thank you.
This is his last chance.
Oh, you might have something for me.
Oh, she is, yeah.
Fine.
Okay, thanks.
A question in regard to on Dianne's shore.
I would refer her as well.
I think she'd love it if you said Dianne, because she's been active, you know.
And I...
Well, I was unable to see the television show with Julia.
And it came on in the morning.
I had it replayed for me last night.
And I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it.
You have always been one of my favorite show business personalities.
And that's a very gracious way to receive you in your show.
On page 51 of this book, you will find a reference made by Russell Kirk to Burke's use of the term, quote, the unbombed grace of life, in his
I think you will like this chapter of well worth reading.
I hope you enjoy his
very sensitive discussion of this subject.
Thank you very much.
Yeah, yeah, I would, sure, we expect you to come back, and I don't know if I should, but...
I think she would.
It would mean a lot to her.
Yeah.
And she's been around, you know, she's been by my side the last 10 times.
Have a good trip.

NARA Description

On March 31, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:00 pm to 2:05 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 699-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 699-8

Date: March 31, 1972
Time: 2:00 pm - 2:05 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

     The President's schedule

     [Signing documents]

     Entertainment for the White House
          -Arthur Rubinstein
               -European tour
               -Blacks
               -Organization of American States [OAS] dinner
Rose Mary Woods entered at an unknown time after 2:00 pm

                -Forthcoming dinner for Luis Echeverria Alvarez
           -Fred Waring
                -Dinner for Echeverria
                -Medal of Freedom

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 2:00 pm.

     Schedule
          -Camp David
              -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon

Bull left at an unknown time before 2:05 pm.

     Dinah Shore

           -Note from the President
                -Addressing
                -Dictation
                     -Television show
                           -Julie Nixon Eisenhower
                           -Mrs. Nixon and the President
                           -Julie Nixon Eisenhower

     Dictation of note to Mrs. Joseph W. Alsop [Susan (Patten) Alsop]
          -Book
                -Page 51
                      -Reference made by Russell A. Kirk
                           -Edmund Burke
                           -French Revolution
          -The President’s conversation with Susan Alsop
          -Kirk's book

     Susan Alsop

     Echeverria

The President, Butterfield and Woods left at 2:05 pm.

Also recorded on March 31, 1972

  • 022-062 8:02 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:02 pm to 8:07 pm.
  • 699-001 10:13 AM · 1 hr — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, Manolo Sanchez, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:13 am to 11:14 am.
  • 699-002 11:14 AM · 24 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:14 am and 11:20 am.
  • 699-003 11:20 AM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:20 am to 11:40 am.
  • 699-004 11:42 AM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Richard E. Bland, W. Howard McClennan, Louis Amabali, Lt. Tommy Arevala, Perce Bugbee, Dorothy S. Duke, Ernst R. G. Eckert, Roger M. Freeman, Robert Hechtman, Albert E. Hole, John F. Hurley, John L. Jablonsky, Keith E. Klinger, Dr. Anne W. Phillips, John A. Proven, Baron Whitaker, William J. Young, Howard D. Tipton, Clayton Willis, George T. Bell, James Casey, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:42 am to 11:59 am.
  • 699-005 11:59 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:59 am to 12:00 pm.
  • 699-006 12:00 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Eugene S. Cowen, Richard K. Cook, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:00 pm to 12:02 pm.
  • 699-007 12:02 PM · 1 hr 39 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, Rose Mary Woods, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:02 pm to 1:58 pm.

All 16 conversations from March 31, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 699-008, March 31, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/699-008 (accessed September 18, 2026).